The Universiade Village: Home away from Home

KAZAN – The Kazan Universiade Village, an impressive complex with all kinds of details, meets all the expectations of athletes and volunteers. It is the neurological center of the event, placed next to the headquarters, the Main International Center, and within the Village more than ten thousands people peacefully coexist.

Entering, by the MIC, the first thing which grabs one’s attention is the ‘Flag Alley’, which crosses from one end of the Universiade Village to the other. The flags are complemented with those that decorate the buildings of the delegations on both sides of the walk. Halfway, a little square marks the meeting point of the athletes.

Going from one place to another in the Village does not take more than five minutes, but several electric vehicles streamline the transport of the athletes from their accommodations to the different key places: the restaurant, the MIC, the recreation areas and the bus stops.

Every building has bedrooms for athletes, and other facilities like common rooms, medical services and working offices for the press services and heads.

The restaurant is one of the biggest challenges in events with these characteristics, because it has to provide different kinds of food to thousands of people daily. The athletes have access to a European zone, Asian zone, halal and even a MacDonald’s.

The Main International Centre presides the University Village. It is a unique infrastructure that meets all the needs of the athletes in Kazan. One key feature is the Universiade Museum, where visitors can take an interesting walk around the Universiade’s history, and the gym where the athletes prepare for the competitions.

Athletes do not train only in the MIC and the different venues, but they have a recreation area where they can play basketball or volleyball.

Nonetheless, the Universiade is not only sport, and the athletes find some time to have fun playing videogames or dancing in the club located in the Village.

Javier Morales Bolivar/FISU Young Reporter (ESP)